OTTO Market: marketplace guide

About this guide

This is a ChannelEngine guide on the Hamburg, Germany-based marketplace OTTO Market. Here you can find information on how to request an OTTO Market account, how to configure this marketplace on ChannelEngine, and what the specific requirements are.

Table of contents

Commercial information

How to request an account

Associated costs

Marketplace features

Settings and configuration

Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions

• Setup
• Categorization
• Mappings
• Listed products

Additional information

FAQs

Commercial information

How to request an account

To start selling on OTTO Market, you need to make sure that you meet the requirements below. Once you do, go to their registration page and sign up.

As a seller on the marketplace, you must meet the following requirements:

Germany-based sellers

• You have a business in Germany with a German legal form and a German tax ID.
• You present yourself as the merchant to end customers. (OTTO Market is not a wholesale channel.)
• You offer customer service in German.
• You dispatch from a German warehouse.
• You only offer products with VAT of 19%.
• You do not use graduated shipping costs. (Uniform costs for all products or EUR 0 are technically possible.)
• You transfer the shipment number for the outbound shipment and the shipment number for the return shipment in advance to the OTTO Partner Portal. This is achieved by using ChannelEngine's shipment and return flows. 
• You meet the requirements on OTTO Market's sellers checklist.

Netherlands-based sellers

• Your company is registered with the “Kamer van Koophandel” and operates under one of the following legal forms: B.V., N.V., V.O.F.
• Your company has a valid Dutch VAT ID.
• You participate in the OSS framework and use your resident VAT ID for this.
• You offer customer service in German.
• You have a webshop and experience with selling on marketplaces. 
• You dispatch from an EU-based warehouse and accept returns in any of: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Spain, or the Czech Republic.

Associated costs

OTTO Market does not charge any setup fees, but it does charge a monthly fee of EUR 99.90. It also charges a commission fee, which varies from 7% to 18% depending on the product category.

Marketplace features

*It is not possible to export shipments to OTTO Market if you define multiple return warehouses on OTTO Market's back-end platform. 

Settings and configuration

Setting up each channel on ChannelEngine follows the same flow, though not every channel includes the steps listed below.

1. Go through the Setup.
2. Create a Product selection.
3. Complete the Categorization.
4. Set up the Mappings: content, offers, and carriers.
5. Configure the Pricing: rules and currency conversion.
6. Finish the Activation.
7. Check the Listed products overview.

Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions

The sections below describe exceptions to the standard settings and configuration steps that are required to set up channel plugins on ChannelEngine.

Setup

On OTTO Market

OTTO Market's authentication flow is based on OAuth 2.0.

To establish a connection with ChannelEngine, you need the Dienstleister Freigaben (Service provider approvals) user role.

1. Log in to your OTTO Market account.
2. Go to Einstellungen (Settings), then Nutzerverwaltung (User administration).
3. Click Ansehen/Arbeiten on your user.
4. Select the checkbox next to Servicepartner Freigaben (Service provider approvals).
   

Adding a new brand to OTTO Market

If the specific product that you want to list does not already exist on OTTO Market, you can create it yourself by going to Produkte (Products), Neues Produkt anlegen (Create new product), + Neue Marke anlegen (Create new brand), and then entering the brand details and trademark. You must enter the trademark name exactly as it is registered, as it's not possible to change this later. 

Be certain that your brand is not already present in the system before creating a new one. You can double-check this via the drop-down Marke (Brands) menu in the Neues Produkt anlegen (Create new product) window. Enter the first letter of your brand, and then check if it already appears in the list of brands that are already present in Otto. 

It can take up to two hours for your newly created brand to appear on OTTO, because it must be checked by OTTO before it is accepted. If you are working with a service provider, it may be that the OTTO brand list is only fetched up to two times per week. It may, therefore, take a few days before you can see your brand in the system of your service provider. 

On ChannelEngine

Install and authorize the ChannelEngine public app:

1. On ChannelEngine, go to the Setup step of your OTTO Market marketplace.
2. Scroll down to the section Authorize ChannelEngine and click the Authorize button.
3. You are then prompted to log in to your OTTO Market account. Ensure you log in with a user account that has been assigned the Service provider approvals role.
4. Grant ChannelEngine app all specified access scopes (i.e.: products, orders, shipments, etc.), and allow access to your OTTO Market data (i.e.: user roles, access, partner ID). If you get the "Something went wrong. Please try again" error, try clicking the Authorize button and logging into your OTTO Market account once again.
5. On the Setup page, click Save and refresh the page.
6. Once the authorization is done, the Authorize button on ChannelEngine becomes green.

7. After a successful authorization, you can locate the ChannelEngine app under Dienstleister (Service provider), Installierte Apps (Installed apps) in your OTTO Market account. The ChannelEngine app should have the Aktiv (Active) status.
    

   NB: if you see the ChannelEngine app in the status Aktiv (Active), but ChannelEngine is not in sync with your OTTO Market account, an issue has occurred. Reach out to ChannelEngine support so that they can reset the Installation ID. After this, you should restart the installation process. Begin by uninstalling the app, which you can do by hovering over it and clicking Zugriff entziehen (Revoke access).

Plugin-specific settings

Go to Setup, Plugin-specific settings.

1. Enter your ship-from address settings:
   • In the Ship from address - country code field, add the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the country where you ship from. E.g.: if you ship from Germany, enter DEU.
   • In the Ship from address - city field, enter the city where you ship from.
   • In the Ship from address - zip code field, enter the zip code where you ship from.
2. If you know which return carrier you will always use, then contact ChannelEngine to enable a setting to configure sending a fixed return carrier with all of your OTTO Market shipments. If enabled by ChannelEngine:
   • In the Return shipping carrier field, select one of the options from the dropdown menu:
     • DHL
     • GLS
     • HERMES
     • OTHER_FORWARDER
   • The return carrier does not always need to be the same carrier as the one that you use for shipments, but the return carrier that you choose here will be the stated return carrier on all of your OTTO Market shipments.
   • If you plan to frequently change your return carrier, then check out your other options in the article OTTO Market: shipments and returns. You may not need to set a value in the Return shipping carrier field.

Categorization

The size of OTTO Market's list of categories reflects the marketplace's broad range of products, but the categorization process is straightforward – and it uses attribute names in German.

Mappings

Content

All products (required)

• Brand - the brand of the product. See the section Creating brands for more information about the creation of new and existing brands in OTTO Market. 
• Distributor address - distributor's address. Required for the EU General Product Safety Regulation.
• Distributor name - distributor's address. Required for the EU General Product Safety Regulation. 
• EAN - the 13-digit EAN or GTIN of the product. It must not start with a 2.
• Main image link - the product's main image. The requirements are:
  • OTTO Market enforces a minimum resolution of 500x1000 px and a maximum resolution of 4,500 px.
  • The file name must not contain special characters or umlauts. 
  • Images must be in file type JPG or PNG and in the RGB color format. Other formats are not permitted. 
  • The main image should be a cutout image. It should have a white background and contain no shadows or reflections.
  • Clothing items do not have to use the cutout image as the main image – it can serve as an additional image.
  • The product must make up 85% of the area in the image. 
  • The use of props or the inclusion of additional items in the image is not recommended. 
  • If a background is present, it should be a light and neutral image background (beige, light grey, white, off-white, etc.). 
  • The image may only show the exact product matching the description and associated product variant.
  • Information about energy efficiency must be submitted in text and not included on the product image.
• Product reference - map this attribute if you want to group child products under a parent – or a grandparent, if you need to create a double variation. If Product reference is empty, SKU is used as the reference. The maximum number of characters is 50. For guidance, check out the article OTTO Market: product variations.

• SKU - (available to map on your request; unavailable by default) your internal identifier; usually this is the Merchant product number. The maximum number of characters is 50. 

  NB: if you are already selling on OTTO Market and your Merchant product number does not match any existing SKU on the marketplace, ChannelEngine may not be able to export your product content or offers to the marketplace. To avoid this, you must request that the SKU attribute be made available for mapping. Contact the ChannelEngine Support team and request that the SKU attribute be made visible in Content mappings.
  
  For guidance on modifying your SKU, check out the article OTTO Market: product variations.
• VAT - the kind of VAT associated with the product. The options available are free, full, and reduced – with full being the most common.

All products (optional)

• Assembly instructions - a URL (or link) to a PDF, image set, or document showing step-by-step instructions for assembling the product (e.g., furniture like IKEA-style guides, toys, or bikes). This helps customers assemble items correctly and reduces returns/complaints. Often used for flat-pack or multi-part products.
• Bullet point 1-5 - the features or highlights of the product.
• Bundle - defines if the product is part of a bundle or not.
• Color variant - specifies the color variation of the product (e.g., "red", "navy blue", "matte black"). This is used for grouping/creating variations in the API (similar to how "Product reference" groups child SKUs under a parent). It supports visual filtering on otto.de and is relevant for fashion, home goods, or electronics categories with color options.
• Description - the description of the product. The following HTML elements are supported: b, i, font, s, u, o, sup, sub, ins, del, strong, strike, tt, code, big, small, br, span, and em. The maximum number of characters is 2,000.
• Dimensional drawing - a URL to a technical drawing or diagram showing precise dimensions, measurements, views (e.g., side/top/front), scale, and possibly tolerances or assembly points. Common for furniture, appliances, tools, or industrial items to help buyers verify fit/space requirements.
• Disposal - select Yes for OTTO Market to display information on the appropriate disposal of the product or parts of it.
• Distributor details - the contact details of the distributor, including the distributor’s email address and URL. One of either the email address or the URL is mandatory; you can choose which one to fill out. 
• Extra image link 1-9 - the product's additional images. For image requirements, check Main image link.
• Feed business operator details - required for animal feed products as per the General Product Safety Regulation (EU).
• Food business operator details - required for food products as per the General Product Safety Regulation (EU).
• FSC certified - select Yes if the product is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
• Manufacturer details- the name and contact details of the manufacturer of the product.
• Material sample - a URL or link to an image/photo/sample swatch demonstrating the actual material texture, finish, or close-up appearance (e.g., fabric swatch, wood grain, metal surface). This provides better visual representation than standard product photos, especially for tactile products like textiles, flooring, or upholstery.
• Max. order quantity - if a certain quantity of the product can be sold per customer, set the threshold here.
• Max. order quantity period - the period of time (in days) during which Max. order quantity is valid.
• MOIN - My OTTO identification number. This value must match the MOIN available in the back-end of OTTO Market.
• MPN - the manufacturer part number, if available. The maximum number of characters is 50.
• MSRP price - the product's manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP).
• Multipack - if the product is part of a set, specify it here.
• Norm amount - to provide accurate details on the normed price, select the normed packaging size from the dropdown.
• Norm unit - to provide accurate details on the normed price, select the name of the unit the norm price is based on.
• Packing unit count - the number of packages.
• Packing unit height/length/weight/width - the package dimensions in mm and weight in kg.
• Product datasheet - a URL to a detailed technical/product data sheet (PDF or image) containing specifications like technical parameters, certifications, performance data, or component lists. Used for electronics, tools, machinery, or B2B-style products to give in-depth info beyond the main description.
• Product name - the product's title. This should not exceed 70 characters in length. 
• Product URL - the link to the product on your own website.
• Production date - the date when the product was manufactured.
• PZN (Pharmazentralnummer) - only relevant for pharmaceutical products.
• Release date - the date when the product was made available for sale by the manufacturer.
• Safety datasheet - a URL to a safety data sheet (SDS/MSDS) or safety instructions document (PDF/image). Required or highly recommended for chemicals, hazardous substances, batteries, or products with potential risks (e.g., paints, cleaners, electronics with lithium). It covers handling, hazards, first aid, and disposal per EU regulations.
• Sale end date - the date until when the product's sale price is valid, if applicable. The date format is YYYY-MM-DD (i.e.: ISO 8601). E.g.: 2023-12-25 corresponds to 25 December 2023.
• Sale price - the product's discounted price, if applicable.
• Sale start date - the date from when the product's sale price is valid, if applicable. The date format is YYYY-MM-DD (i.e.: ISO 8601). E.g.: 2023-12-01 corresponds to 1 December 2023.
• Sales amount - the packaging size of the sales unit. To set up a discount, it is not necessary to map this attribute. 
• Sales unit - the name of the unit on which the sales amount is based. To set up a discount, it is not necessary to map this attribute. 
• User manual - a URL to the full user/operating instructions manual (PDF or multi-page guide). Explains usage, setup, maintenance, troubleshooting, and safety tips. Essential for complex items like appliances, power tools, or electronics to ensure proper and safe use.
• Warning label - a URL to an image or document showing warning/hazard labels, pictograms, or caution texts (e.g., "flammable", "keep out of reach of children", age warnings, or CE marking details). Often used for toys, chemicals, or products with legal warning requirements to display compliance and reduce liability. 

Offer

All products (required)

• Is active - determines whether the product is active on OTTO Market. Mapping this attribute to 'Yes ensures that the product remains available for sale on OTTO Market. OTTO Market recommends you keep this attribute set to 'Yes.' However, some attribute updates, such as changing the Product reference, require the product to be deactivated first. In this case, you can temporarily map this attribute to 'No', update the Product reference mapping, and then reactivate the product by mapping this attribute to 'Yes'.
• Price before (re)price rules - the product's sale price. Note that this attribute is displayed only if you use Pricing v1. If you use Pricing v2, this attribute is not available in the offer mappings. You can configure the product's price and any price rules (if needed) on the Price rules tab on the Pricing page.

All products (optional)

• Shipping profile - Name of the shipping profile. Must be exactly the same as on the OTTO Market backend.

Carrier

Carrier mapping is required in OTTO Market, and several logistics companies are listed. There are constraints on how to map your carriers based on whether you always use the same carrier for shipments and returns or if you use a freight forwarder. For guidance on setting up your shipments with the correct carrier, check out the section Shipments and returns below. 

Pricing

In Mappings, Offer mappings, the following offer attribute may appear on this channel, if this channel uses pricing v2:

• Allow promotion below min price - set it to ‘true’ to allow the promotion price to drop below your product's minimum price. 

In Mappings, Fee group mappings, map the marketplace fee group ID of the product.

Listed products

If you have problems with products not appearing on OTTO Market (especially if you are trying to create products that do not exist yet), check the Listed products section for more information.

You can either filter on Channel status (Invalid for all products that ChannelEngine has not exported, such as products with an empty EAN or products that currently do not exist on OTTO Market) or use the Validation and feedback tab to see all known validation/feedback errors for specific products.

Additional information

Publishing product content

On OTTO Market, multiple merchants may provide content for the same product (i.e.: products with the same EAN). Ultimately, OTTO Market determines the product content that is displayed to buyers based on which content has the highest customer benefit. Each time a merchant uploads new content for the same product, OTTO Market assesses which content is of the best quality.

It is therefore recommended that you provide only high-quality images, product titles, and descriptions, and that you provide as much feature information as possible to assist potential buyers in making a selection. This helps to ensure that your content is displayed over that of your competitors and fellow merchants. 

Order extra data items

When an order is imported to ChannelEngine, ChannelEngine also fetches extra data items related to the order itself – or to order lines. This extra data is specific to this marketplace. An explanation of each can be found below: 

Order extra data

Order line extra data

* Conditional fields only display if the channel provided a value. 

Shipments and returns

Shipments

Track-and-trace codes are required when shipping with any carrier. 

Returns

Three carriers are allowed for returns: Hermes, DHL, and GLS. Therefore, it may be preferable to stick to these three carriers when shipping, too. 

If you would like to use a different return carrier than the one that you use for shipping, please reach out to the ChannelEngine Support team. After ChannelEngine reconfigures your plugin:

1. You must map your desired return carrier in Carrier mappings. 
2. When you create your shipment, you must specify your return carrier in the shipment details. 
3. The return shipment method and the return track-and-trace code are conditionally required, depending on your logistics scenario. 

Auto-cancelation policy

OTTO Market has put in place a policy to automatically cancel orders that stay open for longer than 90 days. Orders that are not marked as sent 90 days after the estimated delivery date will be automatically canceled by OTTO Market. For orders that stay open for longer than 90 days, no invoice will be created, and no payment will be issued to the merchant by OTTO Market.  

FAQs

How often does each task run on OTTO Market?
Tasks run according to the following schedule on OTTO Market:

The products I loaded are stuck in the status 'Under review'. What is wrong?
Go to your OTTO back-end and check if the display restriction (DR) setting is active. If so, make sure to deactivate it. This is a safety net feature that allows you to prepare your products for sale without exposing them to customers. Note that deactivating the display restriction can take a few working days.

How are offer rankings determined by OTTO Market? 
OTTO Market considers several factors when determining which product offerings by which merchants to display to buyers: 

• Gross sales price and discount promotions 
• Shipping costs, shipping cost-related discounts via promotions (flat rate not taken into account)
• Average delivery time in days (e.g. 3-5 days vs 3-4 days)
• Selected services and their costs, e.g.: delivery to the place of installation, removal of old furniture, assembly service, and installation service. These services can currently only be offered by OTTO and, therefore, OTTO may be given preference in the ranking.

Why do I receive a MISMATCHED_RETURN_TRACKING_NUMBER error when my shipment is exported to OTTO Market?
If you receive a MISMATCHED_RETURN_TRACKING_NUMBER error when exporting your shipment to OTTO Market via the Merchant API, then first cross-check the return tracking number that you are using with your carrier's track-and-trace code syntax. If your carrier has updated the format, then update your tracking code accordingly. Additionally, verify the following: 

1. Verify that you are indeed using a return tracking code and not a shipment code.
2. Double-check that the return labels you are generating are actually return labels and not regular shipping labels.
3. Verify your configuration in the OTTO Portal. You can configure return settings in your OTTO Partner Connect account. Review the information on License Plate configuration for guidance.